Pencil-sharpener



(No Model.) 7

. A. M. SMITH.

PENCIL SEARPENER.

No. 295,296, Patented Mar. 18, 1884.

ATTDRNBY JNrrnn STATES ATENT rrucn.

ALBERT M. SMITH, OF BROOKLYN, NEXV YORK.

PENClL-SHARPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,296, dated March18, lSl.

' Application filed October 24,1883. (no model.)

To all, whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT M. SMITH, of thecity of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Pencil-Sharpeners, of whi oh thefollowing is an accurate description.

The nature of my invention consists in an improvement inpencil-Sharpeners, the object being to so construct it that it can bereadily and easily resharpened, to facilitate the operation ofsharpening the pencil, and to be enabled to bring it to a finer point,to avoid getting the hands and fingers soiled with the dust from it, andthe danger of breaking it in so doing.

In the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, ofwhich similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 are front views, Figs. 4 and 5, sectional views.

A is the sharpener; B, the cap 5 O, the end for sharpening lead-pencils;D, for slate, and E the file-surface.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The sharpener is made of any material that will afford asuitablecutting-edge, and in one, two, or more parts, and also the cuttingportion of it, sidewise and edgewise, straight or curved, as shall bebest adapted to the different purposesre'quired; but generally it ismade of steel, andin two parts, having the cutting portion of it,sidewise and edgewise, straight, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The end of the sharpener, 0, designed for sharpening lead-pencils ismade to operate on theprinciple of a draw-knife, having its outting-edgeon the inside of the curve, as at c, and the end, D, for sharpening aslate-pencil having its cutting-surface V-shaped and its outting-edgesquare, as at b b. On the body of the sharpener a file-surface, as at E,is made, for the purpose of sharpening the lead part of the pencil. Thissurface is made to cut down toward the point of the pencil in theordinary way, or up from it, necessitating the teeth standing in anopposite angle, as shown, from what they would to cut in the other way,there by enabling a finer point to be made.

' be got at.

YVhen the sharpener is made in two parts, it is constructed as at Figs.1 and 2, the parts being held together by a rivet or screw, as at c, thefile-surface being so arranged as to come on the inside of each part, inorder that the hands and fingers may not come in contact with it whilebeing held to operate it, so as to become soiled with the dust and leadremaining on it, the ends of each part of the sharpener forming the endC being locked together, as at d, the other ends, forming the end D, being simply Qbrought close together, as at e. The parts are held in thisposition by catches on each part of the end D, as at ff, Fig. 2, so madeas to lock together, as at 9, Fig. 1; or it is made as at Fig. 3, thetwo parts coming together in the center, as at k, and held in place by acap, B, which also answers the purpose of protecting this arrangement ofthe file-surface, as in the former construction 5 or it is made as atFig. at by only using one part of the sharpener, as shown, covering thefile-surface with the cap B, as in Fig. 3, or using it without, asdesired.

The sharpener is used on the lead-pencil by holding it with one handagainst the desk, table,

or some solid object; or it can be held in the hand pressed against theperson, to keep it steady. Then place the cutting-edge of the sharpenerover the end of the pencil, and draw toward the person, continuing theoperation until the wood part of the pencil is cut away sufficient toexpose enough of the lead to form the point, as desired. Then by openingthe sharpener, which can be done by springing the two parts of the end Dapart a trifle, the filesurface is exposed so that the lead part can besharpened on it, as desired.

The slate-pencil is sharpened by'drawing the point of the pencil throughthe aperture D toward its smaller end and against its outtin -edge oneach side.

The cutting-edges of the sharpener can be sharpened the same as theordinary knife, as by opening it exposes them so that they can Thus itwill be seen the pencil can be sharpened with much greater ease andfacility than in the ordinary way without getting the hands or fingerssoiled with the dust and lead of the pencil, and without any danger ofbreaking the point; also, a much finer point can be made than whensharpened in the A and E, riveted together, having sharpening ordinaryway. devices at each end, and an intermediate file- Having thusdescribed my invention, now, 1 surface, all substantially as described.therefore, What I claim, and desire to secure by 3. In apencil-sharpener, the combination Letters Patent, is-- of the parts A,E, and B, all arranged and 0p- 1. A pencil-sharpener, A, consisting ofthe erating as shown and described. cutting end,G for sharpeninglead-pencils, the ALBERT M. SMITH. end D, for slate-pencils, and theintermediate 2. A pencil-sharpener consisting of parts Witnesses:

file-surface, all substantially as shown and de- WM. 0. SUMNER, scribed.O. A. THOMAS.

